


Dangerous

by HamAndSwiss



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: American Civil War, Civil War, Fire, M/M, Post-Civil War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 13:16:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17044412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HamAndSwiss/pseuds/HamAndSwiss
Summary: Um.... only warning is a bit of homophobia. Also a teeny bit of bad language.The song is 'Dangerous Night' by Thirty Seconds To Mars.Okay, I was obsessed with that song when I wrote this.And unhealthily obsessed with Richmond burning.So.You get this.





	Dangerous

_We burned and we bled   _

Alexander could still remember how the sky was the red of burning silk as Richmond burned. The city where he lived and loved and lost so much, gone. He remembered standing on a hill outside his army tent, watching his history go up in flames. The churchyard where his mother was buried. The general store where he worked until the war came to Virginia. The ballroom where he first met that... Eliza girl. She stole his heart and crushed it under the heel of her patent leather boots when she ran off with a Union army deserter.

Everything in Richmond is gone now.

 _We try to forget_   

He curses under his breath and kicks at one of his tent poles. Remembering the city in flames won't get him anywhere. He needs to move forward. Avoid the Unionists, avoid any soldiers at all. Just go back to his nice little life of anonymous clerking and never becoming anything. He joined the army so he could become a war hero or die trying, but the Confederacy lost and his world fell to pieces.

_ But the memories left _

_Are still haunting   _

The war might have been over but Alex would never forget what he left behind. He lost too many friends to count. To sickness, to cannon fire, to the bayonet.

There’s only one way that Alex knows to fix this.

He kicks up dust as he runs out of the camp, down the rough path, and into the city proper. Running is the only way he can find to clear his mind. He thought running would solve everything and he ran away from his best friend. Now James is gone.

Best not to dwell on that.

_ The walls that we built _

_ From bottles and pills _

Alex runs past the burned-out shell of a library where he used to study whenever he had free time. That place went up like gasoline once the fire started. All the books and paper in there, he supposes.

Past the rows of old family homes. He hopes everyone got out safely.

Past the factories, now standing still and silent, like rows of rotting teeth. Personally, Alex wouldn’t care if some of the managers of those places were trapped in there and died. He knows far too much about some of the conditions in there, where the owners exploit the poor just to get cheap labor.

All the way down to the river. He sits on a rock by the side of the river and stares out towards Belle Isle. The infamous prison camp. He’s been there a few times, to check on the Confederate guards and the condition of the prisoners. They were truly wretched. Alex sends up a silent prayer to the heavens. _Please take care of their souls, take them into your loving care._

_ We swallow until _

_ We’re not talking  _

He sits there for what feels like an hour. In all honesty, it’s probably only a couple minutes.

“Hello there,” a voice says, emerging from the darkness.

Alex looks up as the young man with the brilliant smile walks closer and sits down next to him. “Nice night, huh?”

All Alex can do is nod. The young man flashes that smile and his green eyes sparkle. Alex supposes he’s about his own age, twenty-two or so, a bit taller, though that can’t be entirely proven, as they’re both sitting down now, and handsome. Like, _really_ good-looking.

_ I _

_ I am a man on fire _

_ You _

_ A violent desire _

Alex’s heart casually skips a beat. His insides slowly feel like they’re heating up, threatening to become an inferno that will consume him. This boy… is different than he’s ever seen before. More graceful, yes, but there’s just something about him that Alex can’t describe.

The boy laughs and scoots a little closer to Alex, making his insides all tingly. “You don’t talk much, do you?” Oh, if only he knew. Alex could talk for hours about anything, but this boy has rendered him speechless. Speechless and totally helpless. _Shut up, Alexander,_ he reminds himself viciously. _Pretend he’s your friend, because that’s all he can ever be anyway._

_ What a dangerous night to fall in love _

_ Don’t know why we still hide what we’ve become _

The other boy gives a shrug and displays that blinding smile again. “I’m John Laurens.” Alex quickly nods his head and stares at his lap. “Alexander Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton.”

John grins and sticks his hand out for a handshake, which Alex accepts. “Where are you from?” Ah. That’s a… _dangerous_ question. “Here, actually,” Alex whispers, rubbing the nape of his neck. He might have just ruined his chances with this John boy.

But John just laughs again, and all Alex can hear is that laugh. It sounds like a million bells. “I’m from South Carolina originally, but my family moved to Philadelphia right before the war started. And now I’m back here in the South.”

Alex smiles, for real this time. “It’s probably different now. Slavery’s on its way out.” John squints closely at him. “Quick check, in your opinion, is that good?”

_ Do you want to cross the line? _

The smaller boy freezes up. This boy might be from the North, but he might have carried beliefs over from South Carolina. And war politics is messy. Just like the battles themselves.

“Y-yes…” Alex stumbles out. “Slavery is bad so I’m glad it’s working on being abolished.”

If he thought John’s smile was beautiful before, this smile must be heavenly. “Wonderful! I agree entirely!” Alex giggles nervously and his face flushes. Oh God. Why are there so many hot people, and could he _not_ blush around them?

_ We’re running out of time _

_ A dangerous night to fall in love _

Alex admits it now.

He’s entirely, completely, fully, wholly, in love with this boy from South Carolina.

He’s in love with John Laurens.

_ Started a stranger _

This could be nothing but trouble. Falling in love with a boy you just met is a sure recipe for disaster.

Not to mention what happens if you’re a boy yourself.

_ A lover in danger _

Could Alex dare hope that someday John would be his?

Probably not.

_ The edge of a knife _

The danger of this outweighs the slim chances of something good actually happening. _John’s probably on the side of the Union, and if he discovers that you’re with the Confederates, he’ll kill you,_ Alex chides himself. The war may be over but the hostilities will never be. And every moment he stays here on this rock like a fool is one more chance that John will have to figure him out.

_ The face of an angel _

_ The heart of a ghost _

_ Was it a dream? _

John looked like sunlight trapped in skin. Every smile was a flash in the dark. His eyes were like two suns, shining benevolently over everything they witnessed. Even his freckles made it seem as though he walked out in a light summer rain, and every drop permanently attached to his skin.

In comparison, Alex was the moon. Always reflecting someone else’s light. Maybe Alex’s scars were on the inside, but they were still painfully apparent to anyone who looked. His heart was shattered far too many times to ever be whole again. The shards stab into his skin, over and over and over, leaving him to bleed out all alone.

John Laurens was the sun, and Alexander Hamilton was sure he could never be his moon.

_ I _

_ I am a man on fire _

_ You _

_ A violent desire _

But Alex wanted to be.

Goddammit, he wanted it so much.

He wanted it so much that he could physically feel the pain. The blood rushing in his ears, drowning everything else out in a sea of white noise.  
  
_What a dangerous night to fall in love_

_ Don’t know why we still hide what we’ve become _

That white noise is probably why John has to snap his fingers right in Alex’s face before he snaps out of it and listens. “I _asked_ for more information about you,” John repeats, only a smidge of annoyance creeping into his voice. “Like, what was it like, for you, growing up? What sort of books do you read, if any? What’re your hobbies? I guess you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I just wanna know you better,” he adds, now sounding apologetic.

Alex blinks slowly and then nods. “It’s… it’s fine. Well… um… my dad ran off when I was ten, my mom died when I was twelve, I worked at a really boring but stable clerking job until the war, then I joined the Confederate Army.”

Oh sh-- crap.

Alex should just sink into the river and die or run away and never see this cute boy again but everything would be resolved.

Face burning, he lifts his eyes a little bit to gauge John’s reaction.

The taller boy simply laughs and puts one arm around Alex. “Don’t worry, I already knew that, I mean, look at what you’re wearing.”

At this point, Alex is praying for a large bird to scoop down and dump him somewhere very far away, but no such luck. His _uniform_. Why did he think it was a good idea to wear his _Confederate army uniform_ in a _Union occupied_ city?

John laughs again. “I don’t judge people based on what side they’re on. Heck, some of my best friends fought for the South. I judge based on the people themselves, and you seem like a very commendable person. Plus, if I cared about which side you were on, would I do this?”

_ Do you want to cross the line? _

Then John presses his lips up against Alex’s.

OH FRICK.

FRICK

FRICK

FRICK

Line drawn in the sand and most certainly crossed.

Alex scoots backwards, shocked. He didn’t dislike it; it was simply a surprise. “Are you… drunk?” he asks quietly. That must be it. No one in their right mind, no matter how cute, would kiss Alexander. I mean, have you even _seen_ him? He thinks he looks like trash.

John stares down at his hands. “N-no. Not drunk, just very, very, _very_ into boys.”

Oh. Then… that’s… _good_!

Alex smiles and reaches out for John’s hand. “Well, that works, because I’m very, very, very into _you_.”

This time, Alex initiates the kiss. And John certainly isn’t complaining.

_ We’re running out of time _

_ A dangerous night to fall in love _

When they (unwillingly) break apart, John glances nervously at Alex, then the slowly sinking moon, then Alex again.

“May I just say, that was very nice?” he stumbles out, after a short awkward silence.

Alex nods his head and gives a shy smile out of the corner of his mouth. “You may.”

They sit in silence for another half-hour, just safe in one another’s company. Finally, John stands up and brushes off his jacket. “I’ve got to go back to my camp. But, hey, can I see you again?” Of course, in Alex’s opinion. He nods again and stands up too. “Great. Um, same time tomorrow?” John asks shyly.

_ I _

_ I am a man on fire _

_ You _

_ A violent desire _

**(John’s POV now)** Alexander’s face lights up as he nods. “Can’t wait!” he squeaks, before running off and disappearing into the darkness.

I smile to myself, putting my hands in my pockets and walking off in the opposite direction. That boy is adorable. I don’t know what card of fate led me to him today, but it’s enough to make me truly believe in a god.

“Hey!” an angry voice shouts in front of me as I’m walking down Broad Street.

_ A dangerous night to fall in love _

I groan inwardly. Charles Lee and some of his lackeys. Like I told Alexander, I judge people based on their personalities. And Lee received a failing grade. But he _was_ an excellent solider, so all the commanders overlooked his complete jerkiness. Same for all his little minions.

“What do you want?” I hiss as they approach me. Samuel Seabury, Lee’s right hand man, smirks. “I dunno. What’re you doing out so late?”

_ A dangerous night to fall in love. _

“Just… walking,” I mutter. Lee steps forward, practically on my toes. “Mhmm. ‘Just walking’ clearly means sitting on a rock and kissing some random boy. F-ing sodomite.”

Oh no.

My eyes must widen because they all laugh meanly. “Told ya,” Seabury whispers to George King.

_ Do you want to cross the line? _

“No… that…” I scan my mind for an excuse. Y’know what, I don’t care anymore.

I lift my chin and glare defiantly in Lee’s eyes. “Yes, that was me, and I don’t even give a crap about what you think about it.”

_ We’re running out of time _

They share a glance that speaks volumes and I know what’s going to happen.

I’m running out of the time I have left.

_ A dangerous night to fall in love _

Lee advances on me, and I step backwards quickly. But there’s a wall behind me and I’m trapped. It’s okay. I knew this would happen.

“You’re going to hell,” King whispers, spitting in my face and pulling out a gun.

_ A dangerous night to fall in love _

I shut my eyes tightly. “See you there.” My last act of defiance.

_ A dangerous night to fall in love _


End file.
